any suggestions on another yarn other than Koigu, out of my price range right now but would like to buy all my yarn at the same time with my colors, etc. and needing something like 22 skeins, can't afford the Koigu considering the yarn stash I have right now -- thanks

Koigu knits at a gauge of 7spi on #2.75mm or 3.0mm so any baby weight or fingering yarn would work as long as it is that gauge or a bit thicker. I wouldn't go thinner. Actual sock yarn would be too thin IMO.

There are a lot of yarns in that gauge and you should be able to find a lot of colors in either wool or acrylic.

Palette would probably be very good for Babette particularly since it has a large color selection as well as being the right gauge. The price is certainly right and you get over 200 yds per skein. I was thinking Baby Ull but you're probably better off with Palette.

I ordered a few colors of Knitpicks Merino Style for a crocheted afghan. I started out with stash yarns, went through them pretty quick, finished the first afghan which is traditional granny squares and now I began another which will be less traditional. I love the Babette but I want a heavier yarn and I'm working with the 200 Crochet Squares book so I'll use Babette for "inspiration". I'm also making the Mitered Square Blanket in Mason Dixon so lately all I do is either knit squares or crochet squares or buy yarn for one blanket or the other.

I also started the mitered blanket in Mason Dixon, I think so far I have about 20 squares. I am using one of the cascade yarns, not the 220, I think it's the wool-cotton blend. I did one of the log cabin blankets (actually made a lap blanket for my mother-in-law for Christimas), a small log cabin. I enjoyed that very much. I haven't crocheted much lately, I was a crocheter first and then started knitting about 3 years ago and just lately picked up some crocheting again. Do you have a basic granny square pattern you can recommend? I had a pattern when I was crocheting years ago but can't find my patterns except for my dishcloth patterns -- I really should hold off on the babette right now, I have a pair of socks started, a vest from the one skein book, and a shawl from one of the new colinette books. I also started the ballet t-shirt from loop-d-loop 2 nights ago and it's almost finished, I just happened to have some brown sheep cotton fleece on hand and I am loving it.

I will probably try the palette, mainly becuase of the colors and the price, that may be a good weekend project picking out colors. There just are not enough hours in the day for all this, plus I have fibromyalgia and it's been acting up for the last week, I haven't had trouble in 4 or 5 years and last weekend it hit me --- so I haven't been able to do as much at night and it's taking me all day to get my work done and by night I am worn out --- oh well, everyone didn't need to hear all this --- have a good night Thanks again --

Thank you! Here's a link to the pattern for a basic granny square .They show 5 rounds, 5 colors. You can keep going and add as many rounds and colors as you want. I used 5 different colors and the 6th is the same on each square so that they are "framed" when you sew them together.

The book 200 Blocks for Crochet by Jan Eaton is a wonderful source for all sorts of crochet squares.

I'm using Tahki Cotton Classic for the Mitered Square Blanket.

GFTC of NYC

thanks again, I printed the pattern for my book, I want to start doing some squares with my left over yarns --- I also used the cotton classic for my log cabin, it's a great yarn ! I need to get back on my mitered squares, I was doing one a night before I worked on anything else and then things started happening with my kids, works, etc. have a good w-end

I have been slowly working on this for almost a year. I put it down for months at a time, then pick it up again. I am using Aurora 8, which I got from all over on sale and it will turn out to be a bigger blanket than the Koigu but I wanted that. The Aurora 8 is so soft and the colors are great......here is a link to a photo. http://carolbeech.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.htmlThere is a also a flickr group on this - I'm not sure of the address, but if you go to flickr and search with Babette you can see it. Also check out the Purl Bee www.purlbee.com for their take on it.Connie

thanks carol, love your blanket, each one looks a little different, love everyone's colors -- I think I am going with palette from knitpicks, may sit down tonight and chart out my colors --- I have so much stuff I want to work on and not enough hours in the day - have a good night

Finally started my Babette and getting ready to block the first section and sew together --- for you that have done this, it says use a neutral color, I have that color decided on and I practiced stitching together. I went by the instructions on Purl's website. I have looked at various pictures on flickr but not seeing "in person", sometimes with the picture it is hard to tell for sure, but can you see the yarn you are using, when it is "put together" -- I did it through the top loops, and I think I have it right but my yarn seems to show through, which I like the way it looks but I just need to know first hand since the only ones I have seen have been in magazines or on the internet --

also with blocking, do the majority of you wet the blocks before pinning out on the blocking board or do you pin them out and spray them with a water bottle?